Yemen

USAID/OTI began programming in March 2010 as part of a wider U.S. Government effort to assist the Yemeni government to address destabilizing factors in its most insecure governorates. The program supported government and civil society actors’ efforts to engage in an inclusive and peaceful political transition through targeted assistance in Yemen’s most challenging and strategically important communities. As the security environment continued to deteriorate, USAID/OTI decided to suspend all Yemen Stabilization Initiative operations in country on July 31, 2015. The program closed in March 2016.

USAID/OTI'S ROLE IN YEMEN

Following the signing of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) agreement in November 2011 and the transfer of government power in February 2012, USAID/OTI shifted its program focus to support the political transition process. Until the political crisis, the program supported government and civil society actors’ efforts to engage in an inclusive and peaceful political transition through targeted assistance in challenging and strategically important communities. Utilizing a fast and flexible small grants mechanism, USAID/OTI’s objectives prior to the crisis were:

• Facilitating the GCC process implementation;
• Promoting mitigation of conflicts that threatened the transition; and
• Supporting vital citizen-government relationships that advanced the transition.

PROGRAM HIGHLIGHTS

USAID/OTI’s program worked closely with Yemeni government officials, local civil society organizations, other U.S. Government offices, donor counterparts and local stakeholders — including youth and women — to pursue the program objectives. Illustrative activities include:

• Disseminating information on key resolutions from Yemen’s historic National Dialogue at the community and national levels through discussion sessions, trainings, radio broadcasts, TV shows, pamphlets and other media.
• Providing logistical, technical and operational support for National Dialogue and GCC initiatives such as the Constitutional Drafting Committee and Presidential Commissions for Land Issues and Expelled Employees in the South.
• Facilitating conflict mitigation training to resolve local-level conflicts.
• Supporting government response to community grievances and priorities through small-scale infrastructure and service delivery.